SA Rare Bird News Report - 18 November 2024
Trevor Hardaker
| |||||||||
| |||||||||
S O U T H E R N A F R I C A N R A R E B I R D N E W S R E P O R T | |||||||||
|
|
| |||||||
This is the Southern African Rare Bird News Report issued at 18h00 on Monday, 18 November 2024.
Information has been gleaned from various websites, email groups as well as from individual observers who have passed on their sightings. This report cannot be taken as being totally comprehensive as it is based only on information made available at the time of writing. All bird sightings reported here are reported in good faith based on information as provided by the observers. Any inaccuracies are totally unintentional and the writer cannot be held liable for these.
None of the records included in this report have undergone any adjudication process with any of the subregion’s Rarities Committees, so inclusion in this report does not constitute any official confirmation of the particular record. Observers are still encouraged to make the necessary submissions accordingly.
For those who may have only joined the group recently and are interested in finding out what has been seen in the past, previous reports can be viewed at https://groups.google.com/g/sa-rarebirdnews |
| SARBN is proud to be associated with the following brands: | |||||||
| |||||||||
| |||||||||
| |||||||||
|
|
| |||||||
| |||||||||
|
| ||||||||
PLEASE CONSIDER FOLLOWING ME ON SOCIAL MEDIA BY CLICKING ON THE LINKED ICONS BELOW: | |||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
|
|
| ||||||
| |||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Starting in the Western Cape, a pelagic trip out of Simon’s Town yesterday turned up a FLESH-FOOTED SHEARWATER while an AFRICAN JACANA was found at the Dreyersdal wetlands at -34.057, 18.455 on Saturday and was still there yesterday and the other 2 AFRICAN JACANAS remained on at Paardevlei yesterday as well. The most exciting record, however, came from the west coast region when Southern Africa’s 9th LESSER YELLOWLEGS was found at Geelbek in the West Coast National Park on Saturday and was still on view there earlier today. Our first record was from Harare in Zimbabwe in December 1979. This was followed by 2 consecutive records at the Berg River estuary in Velddrif, the first in August 1983 and the second in December 1999. The 4th record came from the Sappi wetlands at Stanger in December 2008, then there was one at Moremi Game Reserve in Botswana in April 2009, one at Woodbourne Pan in Knysna in November 2010, one at Rundu Sewage Works in Namibia in August 2011 and, most recently, one at Geelbek in the West Coast National Park in February 2018. Elsewhere on the west coast, a EURASIAN OYSTERCATCHER was found at Seeberg hide in the West Coast National Park this afternoon, at least one RED-NECKED PHALAROPE was still at Kliphoek Salt Pans in Velddrif yesterday and an AUSTRALASIAN GANNET was also still on Bird Island in Lambert’s Bay this afternoon while, further east, 2 GREATER SAND PLOVERS were seen at De Mond Nature Reserve on Friday. | |||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Flesh-footed Shearwater on pelagic trip © David Swanepoel | Greater Sand Plover at De Mond Nature Reserve © Dean Boshoff | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Lesser Yellowlegs at Geelbek © Cliff Dorse | Lesser Yellowlegs at Geelbek © Regard van Dyk | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Lesser Yellowlegs at Geelbek © Pieter Bester | Lesser Yellowlegs at Geelbek © Hernus Langeveldt | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
| |||||||||
Lesser Yellowlegs twitchers at Geelbek © Trevor Hardaker | |||||||||
|
| ||||||||
In the Eastern Cape, a PALM-NUT VULTURE was seen again at Quenera Nature Reserve in East London at -32.955, 27.959 on Thursday.
Moving up the coast into Kwazulu Natal, the mega SHARP-TAILED SANDPIPER continued to show at Umlalazi Nature Reserve in Mtunzini on Friday, but then did a disappearing act and was not reported again at all over the weekend or today. Whether it has just moved to another part of the estuary, or has moved off completely from the site, remains to be seen. Also creating a fair amount of excitement was the discovery of a SAUNDERS’S TERN at the St Lucia estuary on Saturday which was reported again there yesterday while other good records in the province included a GREY-HEADED KINGFISHER at Saxony Wildlife Estate yesterday, 2 LARK-LIKE BUNTINGS in Ithala Game Reserve at -27.534, 31.329 yesterday, a GREAT SPOTTED CUCKOO close to Ophansi Gate at Mkuze Game Reserve at -27.637, 32.355 yesterday and a GREEN SANDPIPER at Castleburn near Underberg at -29.742, 29.300 this morning while the RUFOUS-BELLIED HERON was also still at Umbogavango Nature Reserve in Amanzimtoti this morning and at least one RUFOUS-BELLIED HERON was also still around Amazibu hide on the Eastern Shores of iSimangaliso Wetland Park earlier today as well.
Another very interesting record, which only came to light over the weekend, but is rather delayed and not twitchable unfortunately, was a sighting of a CRESTED HONEY BUZZARD at Bonamanzi Game Reserve on 26 March 2024. I’m only including it for interest’s sake now, as it is a pretty mega record still. To the best of my knowledge, this is only the 5th record for Southern Africa following previous records in Somerset West in January 2021, in the Belmont Valley near Grahamstown in March 2022, over Witfontein Forest above George in June 2022 and in Pilanesberg National Park in December 2023. | |||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Palm-nut Vulture at Quenera Nature Reserve © Edward Scholtz | Saunders’s Tern (front left) at the St Lucia estuary © Darren van Eyssen | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper at Umlalazi Nature Reserve © Rowan Bartlett | Sharp-tailed Sandpiper at Umlalazi Nature Reserve © Robert Graham | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Green Sandpiper at Castleburn © Dylan Weyer | Grey-headed Kingfisher at Saxony Wildlife Estate © Adam Riley | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Lark-like Bunting in Ithala Game Reserve © Xander van Eeden | OLD - Crested Honey Buzzard at Bonamanzi Game Reserve © Richard Jackson | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
| |||||||||
Rufous-bellied Heron at Umbogavango Nature Reserve © Wynand Grobler | |||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Over in Mpumalanga, there were several interesting records in recent days including a RUFOUS-BELLIED HERON found on a private farm bordering the Kruger National Park near Crocodile Bridge yesterday, the BLACK HERON still at Wakkerstroom wetland on Saturday, a MELODIOUS LARK found on a private farm near Flentershoek on Saturday, 2 AFRICAN SKIMMERS still at the Olifants River bridge in the Kruger National Park on Saturday and 2 CASPIAN PLOVERS seen at Walker Plains Camp in the Timbavati Private Nature Reserve on Wednesday evening. | |||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Caspian Plover at Walker Plains Camp © Steve Walker | Melodious Lark near Flentershoek © Matthew Orolowitz | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Black Heron at Wakkerstroom wetland © Lauren Joubert | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| |||||||||
Black Heron at Wakkerstroom wetland © Ingrid Marx | Rufous-bellied Heron near Crocodile Bridge © Stefanie Botha | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
In the North-west Province, the 2 AFRICAN OPENBILLS were still south of Potchefstroom Golf Course at -26.726, 27.102 on Saturday.
Up in Namibia, a rather out of range RED-BILLED OXPECKER was found at Vreugde Guest Farm in the Logondi district at -19.675, 15.796 on Saturday, at least 3 PALE-THROATED GREENBULS (aka YELLOW-THROATED LEAFLOVES) were around Caprivi River Lodge in Katima Mulilo on Saturday and the pair of AFRICAN BROADBILLS were also still at Caprivi River Lodge in Katima Mulilo on Saturday.
And finally, in Botswana, a single CASPIAN PLOVER was reported north of Mababe at -19.042, 24.048 on Friday. | |||||||||
|
| ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
African Openbill south of Potchefstroom Golf Course © Johan Viljoen | Red-billed Oxpecker at Vreugde Guest Farm © Danie Brand | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||
Thank you to all observers who have contributed their records. Please continue to send through any reports of odd birds as well as continued updates on the presence of rarities already previously reported, no matter how mundane you think they may be. Even if you think someone else has probably sent in a report, rather send the report yourself as well. The only way to improve this service and to make it as useful as possible to everyone is if it can be as comprehensive as possible.
Kind regards Trevor | |||||||||
| |||||||||
TREVOR HARDAKER Cape Town, South Africa |
|
|
|
| |||||
| |||||||||
|
| ||||||||
| |||||||||
| |||||||||
